Handle the Tough Objections

Every salesperson has been in this position. You are trying to sell a big account. You’ve asked the right questions, given a dynamic presentation and now you ask for the order. The customer pauses and says, “It’s just not in my budget right now. I need to think about it. Call me in six months.”

What do you do now? More than likely the customer is ready to buy but leery of making an immediate decision. It’s your job to help move the process forward by bringing the real objections out into the open. Remember that the person who asks questions stays in control of the sale.

The right question strategy eliminates the objection and commits the customer to buy. To close the sale, take control; to take control, ask the questions.

Most important, narrow down and eliminate objections before you begin your product or service benefit presentation. That will prevent more objections from cropping up later on.

Because customers use objections to postpone making a decision, however, expect them to appear when you begin to close, no matter how many you’ve already countered. The 10 strategies outlined here will help you identify the real objections while moving the sale forward to a successful outcome.

Strategy 1

See The Objection As A Question As a salesperson, your job is to present the facts, advantages and benefits of your product or service. Receive objections as requests for more information. When the customer says, “Your price is too high,” rephrase the statement to yourself as a question: “Why are your prices higher than your competition?” This will curb any tendency to get defensive.

Customer: My budget is spent.

Salesperson: What you are wondering is, “Is it worth it to change my budget?” That’s the real question, isn’t it?

Customer: I buy only your competition.

Salesperson: What you are wondering is, “Would our company do a better job for you?” That’s the real question, isn’t it?

Strategy 2

Turn The Objection Into A Reason For Buying Use the universal objection answer to increase your closing chances. No matter what the objection, you can answer by saying, “Why, Mr. Customer, that is the very reason you should buy.” Turn a buying objection into a buying motive to reverse objection-based thinking and steer your customer toward a purchase.

This answer also takes away the objection’s power, making it difficult to use again.

Customer: Your audience is too young (or too old).

Salesperson: That is the very reason you should buy. This is a market you’re missing. Since they aren’t buying in your store, you have not made any attempts to get them into your business.

Strategy 3

Smoke Out Important Objections If you feel that the customer has an unstated reason for not using your company, ask him what it is.

Salesperson: What is the reason you are not buying?

Customer: [states his objection].

Salesperson: Is that the only reason?

Customer: Yes.

Salesperson: Then if . . . [eliminates objection] . . . would you buy?

Customer: Yes.

Be sure the customer answers yes to the last question, as the affirmative indicates a commitment to buy. If the customer doesn’t say yes, question him as follows:

Salesperson: Is . . . [restate the objection] . . . the only reason?

Customer: Yes.

Salesperson: Then if . . . [eliminate objection] . . . would you buy?

Customer: No.

Salesperson: Then there must be another reason. What is it?

This last question reveals the real objection.

1. Customer: I have no budget.

Salesperson: Is that the only reason you won’t buy?

Customer: Yes.

Salesperson: Then if you had the budget, would you buy?

Customer: Yes.

2. Customer: My budget is spent.

Salesperson: If you had the budget, would you buy from us?

Customer: No.

With a no here, the salesperson must gently try to extract the hidden objection.

Salesperson: Well, if you wouldn’t buy because of no budget but still won’t buy even if you had the budget, then mustn’t there be some other reason why you won’t buy? Will you tell me what it is?

Customer: I have to get approval from the owner.

Only by narrowing the objections down and asking for a commitment to buy can you flush out the real objection and get the proper decision to make a sale. Otherwise, your time and effort are wasted with no idea as to why you were not able to sell the customer.

Strategy 4

Eliminate Objections With Questions If you try to overcome objections after your presentation with arguments, you may win the argument but lose the sale. Eliminate the objection through questions at the beginning of the presentation as follows:

1. OBJECTION: I don’t have the time.

Salesperson: Do you have 30 minutes three times a week to look good at your high school reunion?

2. OBJECTION: I live too far away.

Salesperson: Did you choose this location because you live close or work close?

3. OBJECTION: I’ll think about it.

Salesperson: If you like the ideas I propose today, could you make a decision today?

Strategy 5

Agree With The Customer About Something To cushion your answer and render it unobjectionable, find a point of agreement with your customer before answering an objection. The customer will object less to someone who seems to understand his problem. Merely add information while keeping the customer’s ego intact, without arguing or putting down his remark.

Customer: Your rates are too high.

Salesperson: I understand how you feel, Mr. Customer. I had the same feeling at first, too. However, if we look at . . .

Strategy 6

Admit The Objection You must not only answer all objections but also make the customer want what you have to offer. Admit that no product or service is perfect when a customer objects to a real limitation. Having done that, continue your presentation with your company’s benefits.

Customer: The last person to call on me from your company was rude.

Salesperson: I’m very sorry about that; now, I will be taking care of your account. You will never have that problem again.

Customers bring up past problems because they want empathy and understanding. Show them your concern, reassure them and go on selling.

Strategy 7

Deny The Objection If the objection is obviously untrue, you can smile and say, “Of course you don’t mean that.”

Customer: I wouldn’t use your product if it were free.

Salesperson: Of course you don’t mean that.

Strategy 8

Let The Customer Answer His Own Objection When appropriate, answer your customer’s objection with “Why?” If the customer cannot answer the question, then the objection is eliminated. The customer may flounder around, then admit that his objection was not really important. If the customer gives a legitimate reason “why,” you have a more specific, real reason to deal with, putting you on the road to the close.

Customer: I only use your competition.

Salesperson: Why?

Strategy 9

Restate Your Customer’s Objection In Your Own Words Before Answering Restating the objection serves three purposes:

1. It lets the customer know that you are listening to him.

2. It helps avoid misunderstanding and ensures that you answer the right question.

3. It gives you a little time to think about your answer.

Customer: I won’t buy without a discount.

Salesperson: I understand that you want a discount. However, when you consider that discounts would reduce the quality of our service . . .

Repeating a thoughtless or outrageous objection encourages the customer to admit it is not real or important. Also, doing so often uncovers the real concern.

Strategy 10

Deflate Objections By Bringing Them Up Yourself For example, in radio commercial sales: You know your station has low ratings, so when you go in to see the customer say, “Would you rather have 8 people in your store who buy or 100 who don’t buy?”

The customer often knows how to get rid of you with his “pat” answers, so know how to handle every objection you may get.

Anticipate the objections you hear frequently and have a ready answer – your efforts will dramatically boost your closing confidence and increase your selling power.